Made in Cincinnati: A Q&A With KJ Sanchez

The world premiere of Cincinnati King is written and directed by KJ Sanchez.

Neal Benari (Syd Nathan) and Playwright/Director KJ Sanchez in rehearsal for the world premiere production of Cincinnati King.

KJ is an associate artist at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Directing credits here include Jane Eyre by Polly Teale, Sex With Strangers by Laura Eason, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club by Jeffrey Hatcher, the world premiere of Seven Spots on the Sun by Martín Zimmerman, Joan the Girl of Arc by Darrah Cloud and Venus in Fur by David Ives. As a playwright, she has been produced at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Two River Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, Round House Theatre, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Cornerstone Theater Company and off-Broadway at Urban Stages Theater and HERE Arts Center. Other recent directing credits include Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis at California Shakespeare Theater; The Upstairs Concierge by Kristoffer Diaz at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago; The Diary of Anne Frank and Noises Off at Milwaukee Repertory Theater; along with Quiara Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful at the Studio Theatre in Washington D.C. KJ is the voice of many characters in the cartoons Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! She is a Fox Fellow, the 2012 Douglass Wallop Fellow, an Albert Award nominee and an NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors recipient. She is currently an Associate Professor and Head of Directing at University of Texas at Austin.

Cincinnati King tells the story
of Syd Nathan and the artists
and musicians of his Cincinnati-based
studio, King Records. The
landmark label helped pave the
way for the birth of
rock ‘n’ roll. That
legacy, though, is
often overshadowed
in rock history.
What inspired you
to document this
biographical story?
Why is it an important
story to tell?

First, I was so inspired
by the dedication and
commitment of others in the
community who have been
archiving this information for
years and years. I have a big
debt of gratitude to them. I
don’t want to give away too much, because
much of what I found inspiring I have put into
the play, but I’ll say this: Syd Nathan is one
of the most fascinating people I have ever
studied. The chutzpa! A man with nothing
more than an eighth-grade education — who
knew nothing about making records and
did not come from money — to accomplish
what he did is incredible. But, of course, it
was his irascible and problematic leadership
style that might have also been the demise
of the empire he built. And that is what’s so
compelling to me: his humanity and that we,
as very real people, are very human and we
make terrible mistakes. We do great things,
but we also make terrible mistakes, and that is
one of the things I focus on.

This production reflects years of
research and interviews performed
by you, local community members,
and Playhouse staff and board
members. Tell us about your
personal experiences with working
with the community and with
researching King Records’ history.
How did this research shape the
story?

In so many ways. Of course, some of the
transcriptions went right into the dialogue in
the play. But even the interviews that did not
become dialogue have had an impact. An
example: I heard from several people that Syd
had a big round desk. And then the story goes
that James Brown bought this desk. So, in
our set design, I wanted Syd behind that big,
intimidating, desk.

You are founder and CEO of
American Records, a theatre
company that chronicles moments
in American history through
theatrical storytelling. Tell us a
little more about the mission of
American
Records
and how
Cincinnati
King fits into
its repertoire.

Our mission
is to make work
that chronicles
our time, work
that serves as a
bridge between
people. This sits
right in the center
of that mission.
Philip Paul is a
national treasure,
and this play hopes to chronicle some of his
story. At the same time, there are fictional
representations in the show that aim to be
a bridge between those who were there and
lived it and a new generation who are now
self-producing their own work, in many ways
just as Syd did it. We are back to a moment of
“do-it-yourself-ness” that was at the genesis
of King Records.

Neal Benari (Syd Nathan) in rehearsal for the world premiere production of Cincinnati King.

Cincinnati King provides in-depth,
behind-the-scenes tales of such
hits as “The Twist,” “Blues Stay
Away From Me,” “Fever” and other
classic tracks. Tell us about how the
music functions onstage and what
audiences can expect to experience
live.
They should expect extraordinary
performances! Some of the songs are sung
in the context of the recording studio, with
Syd screaming at his recording artists while
they are prepping to record. Others are
in the context of performance. Our cast is
incredible, and all songs will send chills up
your spine... I promise.

Tell us about the characters in
the story. How would you describe
each of them? How would you
describe their relationships with
one another?

The three main characters are Philip
Paul, Syd Nathan and Little Willie John. The
play starts with Philip Paul ending a set and
coming downstage to talk to us, as if we are
interviewing him. Then the ghost of Syd busts
in onstage and decides that he needs to be
interviewed, too, so he can “set the record
straight.” So, you can see that it is one-part
documentary play (in that all of Philip’s
dialogue came from those interviews), but of
course, Syd’s lines are fiction, based on what
I know about the real person. It’s a mash-up.
I want to note one thing in particular: I don’t
in any way want people to think this is the
definitive “King Records story.” I decided to
go deeper with fewer people, to focus on the
drama and the personal, emotional stories. I
hope this play inspires more movies and plays
about all the incredible King Records artists.